| Introduced | 1925 |
| Weight | 70t |
| Driving Wheels | 3ft 0ins |
| Boiler Pressure | 185psi |
| Cylinders | Outside – 13¼in x 18in |
| Tractive Effort | 27,630lbf |
The design of the class G locomotives was based on the earlier Garratts built for the Western Australian Government Railways which entered service in 1911. The major modification was the use of outside frames to allow for the reduction of gauge from 3 ft 6 in to 2 ft 6 in. The design proved durable as two further examples were built for the Australian Portland Cement 3 ft 6 in gauge railway at Fyansford in the 1930s.
Two locomotives were built by Beyer Peacock at Gorton near Manchester in 1925 for the Victorian Railways. The first locomotive was employed on the Colac to Beech Forest and Crowes line whist this locomotive (G42) was utilised on the Moe to Walhalla railway. The locomotives were intended to eliminate the need for double-heading on the narrow gauge lines.
After closure of the Walhalla railway in 1955 the locomotive was moved to Colac where it worked alongside its classmate. When the line at Colac was closed in 1962 G41 was not considered to be in an operational condition and was cannibalised for parts for G42 and was scrapped in 1964.
After being moved to Newport Workshops the locomotive was sold in July 1964 to the Puffing Billy Preservation Society and moved to Belgrave in January 1968. It was placed in Menzies Creek Steam Museum in the following month and it remained there until 1977 when it was moved to Belgrave.
Following a decision to restore the locomotive it was returned to steam in April 2004 using the boiler from a Garratt locomotive originally built for Australian Portland Cement. The boiler from G42 had had its copper inner fire-box and boiler tubes removed by the Victorian Railways before the sale of the locomotive in 1963.
The locomotive operated until being taken out of service in February 2009 for a service before returning to traffic in August of that year for one day to celebrate 100 years of the Garratt locomotive design. It was then taken back out of service and stored pending the overhaul being undertaken
After extensive repairs the locomotive steamed again in December 2010 on the Puffing Billy Railway at Belgrave.
This running schedule was devised in an attempt to prolong G42s service life mainly due to the tire wear caused by the locomotive design and tight curves of the railway.
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